


a slow and agonizing corruption

by futabiez



Category: Friday Night Funkin' (Video Game), Spooky Month (Short Films - Sr Pelo)
Genre: Corruption, Gen, Graphic Description, Halloween, Hurt No Comfort, I'm Sorry, POV Third Person Omniscient, Underage Character(s), Underage Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:14:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29413950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/futabiez/pseuds/futabiez
Summary: Two Halloween-loving children are tricked into entering a decrepit house, unaware of the dangers that lie before them.Inspired by Phantom Fear's FNF mod, Corruption.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 70





	a slow and agonizing corruption

**Author's Note:**

> Beta read and edited by my wonderful girlfriend!

The moon shines above in the night sky, bright enough to cast shadows on the surrounding buildings. It’s Halloween night, and two particular children are beaming in delight as they make their way across town. Skid and Pump move through alleyways, lugging their candy bag behind them, giggling happily to each other as they jump over trash cans and other items littering the ground. They’re almost out of the alleyway when the children pause, hearing a loud ripping sound from behind them. Skid looks back, cheerful expression turning to disappointment when he notices the candy bag torn apart by the glass of a broken beer bottle.

“Awww,” He whines, setting the bag down and picking up some of the candies. Skid picks up a particular Mazapan while Pump moves to try and pick up the rest of the candy they’ve collected over the night, pieces overflowing and tumbling from his hands. 

“What’re we gonna do now? We don’t have any pockets.” Pump complains, glancing up at Skid. 

Skid squints, humming in thought. “Oh, I have an idea!” He perks up suddenly, shifting to grab at his skeleton mask. He slides it off, fluffy hair puffing up once it’s freed. Skid holds it out to Pump, grinning. 

“Use my mask!” At Pump’s nod of confirmation and the pour of candy into Skid’s mask, he continues, “Let’s go to the store and buy a new bag.” 

The two children continue to walk, reaching the end of the alleyway more calmly now. Skid and Pump freeze in their tracks when a plastic bag drifts by, followed by a long shadow. The plastic bag is yanked up by fleshy, rust-colored claws, leading the children’s attention up to a bright yellow lemon-faced monster. It stares down at them with its bloodshot eyes, red liquid leading down its face. Gurgling, it leans down to peer at Skid and Pump. 

“Are you having trouble?” The monster asks, red pouring from its mouth as it speaks. It holds the bag out to Pump, who is tense- eyes a brightly colored blue. “Here, take this… It’s alright, it’s safe.”

“S-Sure…” Pump says, hesitantly taking the plastic bag from the creature.. 

Skid is beaming, turning to slide all the candy out from his mask and into the plastic bag. He promptly puts it back on afterwards, blinking up at the expectant monster.

“Now…” The demon continues, edging closer. Pump shrinks back, while Skid stays put, beaming obliviously. “There’s someone in that nearby house- they’re offering lots of candy. Much more than what you have already. All you have to do is talk to the lady in there, send her to me. I’ll be waiting outside.” 

His voice is soothing, almost suspiciously so; but the children don’t understand quite yet. Skid nods his head, grabbing the wrist of his tense friend. “Sure! We like candy!” Skid says. Pump stays silent.

“Good.” The monster says, pulling back. It begins to grin, sinking away into the shadows. “I’ll be waiting for you.” Its voice echoes, the words repeating a few times before they fade out completely.

Skid glances back at Pump, before pointing to the decrepit building the monster had been talking about. Pump only half-listens to what Skid is saying about it, eyes fading back into their normal white as he glances around. Soon he feels Skid pulling on his wrist, practically dragging him like a reluctant dog towards the scary house.

“W-Wait! But it feels dangerous!” Pump tries, soon having no choice but to move his feet as Skid shows no signs of stopping.

“But there’s candy inside!” Skid responds, confused as to why Pump is acting so tense. He’s not usually so nervous- it’s not like there’s anything that could hurt them. “I wonder if they’ll have really big candy bars.”

Pump eventually relents, taking a deep breath once they reach the doorsteps of the house. “Maybe you’re right…” Pump mutters, trying to smile. “I hope they have candy canes.” 

The two enter the house with ease, finding that nobody even bothered to lock the door. The house inside is massive and filled with shadows. It’s fairly empty, a few pieces of ruined furniture strewn across the vacant space. Not a single sound can be heard except for the ambience coming from outside. The children walk through, glancing around at the torn family photos hung on the walls. The people in the pictures are scratched over, faces covered in claw marks. Skid hasn’t let go of Pump’s hand yet, and the two eventually decide to try and walk up the stairs.

They pause, though, when a low growl emerges from the other side of the room, mixed with a dull gurgling. Pump is tense all over again, urgently pushing Skid to continue up the stairs. Skid stares back, clearly confused as to what Pump is trying to do. 

Pump huffs, frustrated- whatever’s in here is giving him a bad feeling. He takes Skid’s hand as he makes a break for the second floor. The stairs seem endless, but Pump doesn’t even register his feet hitting the floor as he tries to quicken the pace, ignoring Skid’s loud noises of protest. All that fills his brain is the instinct to run, run, run. His eyes turn the same electric blue they were before.

Behind them something screeches, wailing as if drowning in its own blood. The stairs creak behind them and it only gets faster, sounding like it’s getting closer. Pump is outright panicking now, sprinting up the stairs as fast as he could muster without stumbling or letting Skid get pulled away from him. Soon enough he’s panting trying to catch his breath, but he still refuses to stop until the both of them reach the top of the stairs. The room they find is even emptier than the first floor- like it’s been left to collect dust for the rest of time, doomed to infinite vacancy.

The children turn to face whatever was following them, heart skipping a beat once they get a good look. The monster is only a moment behind them- its expression is twisted, rows of jagged teeth curved upwards in a grin. It reaches out to the children with a low growl, and Pump panics- he kicks at its hand before scrambling across the room, still gripping Skid’s hand. The two stop in their tracks when they see another near-identical monster slink out from what looks to be abandoned speakers. With long hair covering its face, it moans, spine twisted in unnatural angles. Its red eyes glare hungrily at the children, a similar smile on its face. At the sight of Pump and Skid, it lets out an excited shriek. 

Skid and Pump take another step back, Pump’s eyes darting around the room. He’s only snapped out of his frantic thoughts at the sound of Skid’s childish laughter.

“Oh, I get what this is! It’s a haunted house, duh! Your guys’ costumes are so cool, how’d you make them?” Skid asks, trying to tug his hand away from Pump’s to inspect the monsters closer. Pump furrows his brows in complete and utter disbelief. Is Skid being serious?

Pump purses his lips together as he continues to glance around the room, a spark of hope filling his chest when he spots a window a few feet away. Pump drags Skid over to it, opening the window and gazing out into the empty space. Conveniently enough, it leads right back to the alleyway they were in earlier, and the fall would be softened by the scattered bags of trash. With no other options left, Pump tries to shove Skid out the window. He resists, clearly confused- what’s Pump so upset for?

“It’s a trap! We’re not safe here,” Pump insists, glancing over his shoulder at the monsters as they creep closer.

“They’re just costumes, Pump! Like us!” Skid shoots back, now digging his heels against the ground. “I’m sure it’s fine!” 

Pump is seconds away from just shutting up and throwing Skid out the window, until he feels sharp claws against his throat. He gasps, being pulled away from the window by the throat. The longer-haired creature hangs from the wall, closing the window with a simple push and ruining any chance Skid had of escaping in just a few seconds. Pump claws at the arm squeezing around his throat, vision going blurry as pain shoots up his spine. His glances down at his own body, eyes wide when he catches a glimpse of black goo crawling up his arm. It hurts, and Pump wants nothing more than to flee. At this point, all he wants is to go home, trade candy with Skid, and then fall asleep in the comfort of his own room after their eventual sugar high wears off.

Eventually, tears prick at Pump’s eyes as he realizes that he can’t get away, no matter how much he thrashes. It’s taking everything in him not to just give up right here and right now, especially when Skid still hasn’t realized what’s going on. Even if Pump can’t get out of here, he wants his friend to get out alive- he feels woozy, like he’s being poisoned.

“Skid--” He chokes out, gasping for air. “You gotta- run away, take the-- the stairs, you need to-- run-” 

Soon, any coherent thought leaves Pump’s mind as the corruption takes over. His eyes roll back, his choked sobs fading out into low growls. Even when the monster lets him drop to the floor, Skid makes no move to escape. Pump twitches, and when his eyes meet Skid’s, Skid finally understands that the monsters aren’t actors, and what’s happening isn’t just some sick joke.

Skid scrambles back, panic rising up into his throat and threatening to suffocate him. His heartbeat roars in his ears and overpowers the gurgling of the monsters- he doesn't even notice the long-haired creature lunging at him. The only hint Skid is given is Pump’s sudden screeching, hostile and animalistic. Skid yelps as well, cowering and covering his face. 

There's a thud behind him, then more wailing. Skid peers out through his fingers, tears blurring his vision.

It’s Pump.

His rows of jagged teeth are buried deep inside the arm of the long-haired monster. She growls at him, clawing at Pump’s face. He doesn't even flinch, and soon enough the taller creature’s arm is oozing hot-pink blood. 

Eventually, the monster lurches back from Skid. Pump shakes his head, droplets of blood being flung across the room. He growls a warning, standing in front of his friend on shaky legs. Skid feels sick to his stomach; his head woozy. What is happening? 

"Back off," Pump snarls again, voice distorted and garbled. Surprisingly, the longer-haired monster backs off, but the other one lets out a gurgle of protest. 

The gurgle quickly turns into a screech, the creature diving towards Pump. Skid shrinks back again, struggling to breathe as Pump acts accordingly- his claws are dug into the monster’s face before it can even reach Skid. He shrinks against the wall, arms wrapped around his head to try and block out the pained gurgles and the sight of blood spurting from the creature’s wounds. His head is spinning.

The world still feels like it’s caving in on him- he can’t catch his breath. He feels like he’s freezing and boiling at the same time- his costume is suffocating, but all he can feel is the chills running down his spine. The scent of copper fills his nose and he gags. A wet tearing noise distracts him from the icy-hot sensation, and he looks up. Pump’s finally convinced the monster to back off. 

"I will protect you," Pump promises, but Skid no longer recognizes the voice. Pump offers a bloodied claw out to Skid, seeming to ignore the way Skid cowers against the wall. "Join me. We can be together again, forever. As long as you just sit still…" 

Skid chokes back a sob, but it’s almost like Pump doesn’t hear him- his former friend picks him up, setting Skid on his shoulders. The other monsters, now bloodied and scratched, crawl over to the abandoned speakers. Skid feels terror claw at his insides again.

"N-No! I want my friend back! Pump, stop it!" Skid pleads, inhaling sharply when he tries to push himself off Pump’s shoulders- it’s almost like they’re stuck together, literally. He can't get off of him, no matter how hard he tries to pull away. It hurts. It hurts so bad. I’m going to die, Skid thinks.

The night passes by in a painful blur, and Skid would no longer be able to determine what exactly has been happening. 

Skid wheezes with burning lungs, ears unable to process anything but garbled noise. A thought drifts into his mind- he wonders if there was someone familiar behind those bloody teeth, sharp and grinning up at him whenever the mic was passed his way. Maybe once they were good friends, collecting candy and exploring the neighborhood on Halloween night. Maybe they gave the month an endearing nickname. Skid can't really remember. It feels like he's being gutted, his final, panicked thoughts begging him to run. 

He wants to go somewhere safe. The comfort of his own home, with his mother smiling warmly at him with every passing glance, would suffice. Had he even had a mother? He's uncertain. Skid's mind is being jumbled up by empty thoughts of aggression, erasing every last coherent thought he has of home, or the stars, or the kid who was once his friend holding him. Skid coughs and gurgles, tears disappearing once he realizes he can no longer find it within himself to cry. Everything hurts. He wants to go home. 

He has a feeling he's not going to go home any time soon. His friend is long gone, forcing Skid to stick to him like glue, the corruption only spreading with every passing second. Skid can only live out the last moments of clarity in a dizzy, fatigued state. He doesn’t want to become a mindless, thoughtless zombie- how is he going to go back home? 

Why is he still clinging to this idea of home?

Eventually the tortuous, ear-wracking noise comes to an end, the sporadic creatures in front of him peering at the pair with wide grins at the sight of how far the rot has spread. Skid can't speak, only able to sob silently at the corruption seeping through his veins. It burns into his lungs, his eyes, his very thoughts. 

Wheezing as he clings to the other monster, Skid finally closes his eyes and lets the disease overtake him.

Maybe someday he'll get to see the stars again.


End file.
